Yang Xiao Long: Peacekeeper
by ObeseCommando
Summary: Sequel to "Blake Belladonna: Matchmaker." Blake feels like Yang has been ignoring her over the past two months. She decides that, in order for their friendship to continue, life needs to be stirred up a bit.
1. Chapter 1

Two months had passed since Blake had taken up the mantle of matchmaker. The time since then had been full of assignments and combat exercises, with the occasional slaying of Grimm to add some flavor to the mix. Despite it all, boredom had managed to claim Blake Belladonna once again.

Blake sat on her bed, hidden in the shadow of the additional bed over her, and watched her two teammates, Ruby and Weiss. They were studying, but they took the time to share little displays of affection. Ruby would sneak a kiss when Weiss was deep in thought, and the heiress would return the favor when Ruby got a question right. Blake felt her heart flutter, not out of embarrassment, but pride. It made her feel good to have helped the two find such happiness with each other. All of the pain she had gone through was worth it.

Thinking about the old scars made Blake wince. Yang had shown the lengths to which she would go to protect her sister, and it was all because Blake had to go and play matchmaker. She rubbed her eyes. After a week of intense sparring matches, the fiery blonde had managed to calm down and go back to her usual, bouncing self. She had even sat down one night to reassure Blake that everything was water under the bridge, but Blake remained unconvinced.

There were times where she had noticed Yang ignoring her, especially in the morning at breakfast. What if Yang still harbored some sort of distrust? She had meant to ask Ruby about it, but she also didn't want to involve the team leader in such a petty affair. Blake looked out of the window at the dull, overcast sky. There had to be some way to get back on Yang's good side.

Her ears perked up as an idea struck. She remembered a time where Yang was able to laugh off an old woman in town who had said that the amount of cleavage the blonde often displayed was scandalous. Blake had bristled at the words, but Yang had handled it well. If her partner could shrug off the harsh words of a stranger, then surely someone closer to the blonde could get away with something else. If nothing else, Blake knew that Yang had a pretty thick skin. Blake smirked and found her mind was running wild with possibilities. After a minute, she decided that she would play a harmless prank on the blonde. After all, there was nothing like a little bit of humor between friends, right?

The rest of the plan hit her immediately. Blake looked at the clock and saw she had an hour before Ruby would gather the team for dinner. She hopped off her bed and walked out, unnoticed by the two lovers. She needed to make a purchase.

Time had flown, but Blake managed to be in the dorm before Ruby loudly proclaimed that it was time for dinner. She had made it a rule for Team RWBY that all members were required to eat the major meals of the day in each other's company. No one had ever objected about the plan.

As the team marched to the cafeteria at their respective paces, Blake felt the bottle of hot sauce in her pocket. Yang and Ruby had run ahead, as usual, leaving her alone with Weiss. The heiress looked at her.

"What's got you so excited?"

Blake realized she had been smirking. "Nothing," she said.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. The two had arrived at the cafeteria and Weiss decided to let the issue drop. The heiress grabbed a tray and handed one to Blake, who accepted it with a nod. As the two walked down the line, serving themselves to the wide array of food available, Blake found that her hands were actually shaking. Was she afraid? Nervous? She gripped the edge of a plate and put it on her tray without looking to see what it was.

"Oh, that's healthy for you," Weiss said.

Blake could hear the sarcasm dripping from each word. She looked at the piece of chocolate cake with lemon frosting her hands had spirited onto the tray. With a shrug, she said, "I like something sweet here and there. Besides, I'm not the one who ate that box of donuts."

"Ruby ate most of them!" the heiress scoffed.

"Doesn't mean you didn't have one or two or five," Blake teased.

"How dare you! I will have you know that I have never eaten so much junk food in my life." Weiss' words didn't carry the same bite as they used to. Blake was glad that the heiress had finally mellowed out. It just made it more fun to tease her.

"Maybe not on your own, no. But I've seen what effect Ruby has on you."

Weiss had finished selecting her food and looked over at Ruby and Yang. Her icy eyes glazed over and her features thawed. "Don't I know it? That girl will be the death of me," she said.

Blake rolled her eyes and hefted her tray. "Come on, lovergirl. And I hope you're drooling because of the food."

"Drool?" Weiss touched the corner of her mouth before noticing Blake's growing smirk. Her expression hardened and she said, "Oh ha ha. When is your next comedy tour? I'd love having front row seats."

Blake only smiled and they walked towards the table where Ruby and Yang sat. Blake's eyes flickered to Yang's tray. The blonde brawler had settled on a piece of grilled chicken breast as her entrée. As far as Blake was aware, the chicken looked a little too dry and needed a good dousing of hot sauce. Then she switched focus from the chicken breast to Yang's breasts. She hated how often her eyes always went there instead of any other part of Yang's anatomy, but how would it be possible to _not_ notice them? It didn't help that her partner displayed them so prominently. Blake shook her head and sat next to the blonde. If she couldn't see the object of her desires, she couldn't fuel her voyeuristic yearnings.

"Good to see you here," Yang said, tapping Blake's shoulder.

"Where else would I be?" Blake picked up her fork and speared a piece of salmon. Yang said something under her breath and went back to her own meal. If they had been alone, Blake would have been able to hear what she said; but in the crowded cafeteria, all she caught was something about a pillow. Blake drank all of her water in one pull.

"So," Ruby said, voice down to an unnecessary whisper, "when do you guys think Jaune will notice Pyrrha?"

"Has it already gotten to the point where we have to fill the air with meaningless gossip instead of a fruitful conversation?"

Yang looked at Weiss. "I'll take gossip over you doting over my sister." She turned to Ruby and added, "I bet he'll notice sometime next year."

Blake waited for the three to be invested in the conversation. She heard her heartbeat in all four of her ears as she reached into her pocket. The hot sauce bottle felt like it was made of solid metal. If Yang turned out to be more easily offended than she let on, Blake could foresee some awful consequences. But if it wasn't a ruse, then everything would be great. Blake tightly gripped the bottle. What was life without taking some risks?

In one move, Blake undid the cap and upended the bottle of hot sauce on Yang's chicken. Unfortunately, the sauce stopped coming out after a few drops, forcing Blake to ignore all of the eyes on her as she shook the bottle again and again. By the time she was done, Yang looked close to hysterics.

The blonde shuddered as she tried to keep her laughter contained. The fight was soon lost and Yang reeled her head back and laughed. Like Yang, the laugh was loud and forceful. More than half of the students in the cafeteria stopped talking just to look at her. Yang doubled over and smashed her fist on the table as she tried to control herself. Blake felt her bow twitch as she flattened her ears against her head. At least her partner hadn't been offended.

Blake looked at the rest of the team. Ruby had been laughing along with her sister, although she had been inaudible over the blonde's onslaught. Weiss was stoic. She returned Blake's stare and mouthed "Ow." Yang was taking deep breaths that became chuckles as soon as the air reached her lungs. Once she managed to calm down, she looked at Blake with the biggest smile. Tears were in her eyes. She cut herself a piece of chicken that was marinated with hot sauce and popped it in her mouth.

"Nice try, Blake," Yang said, licking her lips and winking at the black-haired girl, "but I like my food spicy."

"Actually, I just wanted to make sure you couldn't taste the laxatives in the sauce," Blake said with a smirk.

"Wait, what?" The blonde's lilac irises shrank to pinpricks and all of her humor faded. "You're joking."

"Try me," Blake said. "But I'll remind you that the restrooms are a far way away."

The two stared intensely at each other. Yang was searching for any signs of a bluff, and Blake was providing none. The world had shrunk down to the young woman in front of them.

"Clock is ticking," Blake teased.

Yang bit her lip. "I'll remember this," she said before running away from the table.

The rest of the team watched as Yang ran for the door. Cardin Winchester had the misfortune of standing in her way. Yang shoved the large boy aside and he swore loudly as his dinner adorned his chest plate. Ruby looked over at Blake, who had reached over and speared a piece of Yang's chicken with her fork.

"So, did you actually do anything to it?"

"Nope." Blake took a bite. She instantly regretted it. Putting on a brave face, she choked, "Tastes like victory."

Yang figured that Blake lied about the laxatives when she didn't die on the toilet. However, sitting on the uncomfortably cold seat gave her time to think about the events leading up to her current situation.

For some reason, Blake thought that it would be a good idea to get into a prank war with her. The blonde grinned and popped her knuckles. She was more than willing to accept the challenge, and she had more ammunition on Blake than the girl knew.

By the time Yang was done, her partner would be begging for mercy. With a victorious fist pump, Yang got off of the toilet and pulled her shorts back on. Her hands were already shaking with excitement as she burst out of the stall and ran for the door.

"Miss Xiao Long," said a voice brimming with authority.

Yang immediately stopped and looked over her shoulder towards the source, hand hanging in front of the door knob. A knot formed in her stomach when she saw Glynda Goodwitch staring at her with those uncompromising, green eyes.

"Yes, ma'am?"

Glynda's left arm snapped toward the sinks. Yang followed the direction the bossy Huntress was pointing at and saw a sign that depicted three smiling soap bubbles floating over a pair of wet hands. Yang hung her head and trudged to the sink. It was better than trying to argue with Glynda that she didn't actually use the toilet for anything other than sitting. Besides, the small act of washing her hands only served to preserve Blake's dignity for a moment longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Blake woke up the next morning feeling like the dead. After the initial assault with the hot sauce bluff, Yang had been disturbingly friendly. Every time she spoke, the blonde had the largest smile and the sweetest tone of voice that heralded nothing but doom. However, nothing had happened. Blake had never expected Yang to have the patience to conduct such brutal psychological warfare. Rushing headlong into the pranks was what the black haired girl had expected. As a result, she had kept herself awake by entertaining the awful possibilities of what Yang could be up to. The blonde's soft, satisfied breathing had been just loud enough for Blake to hear throughout the whole night. Yang's confidence was even more unnerving. It made Blake want to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Why did she hate herself so much that she kept putting herself in these situations? A loud yawn on the other side of the room let her know that Ruby was awake. That meant that the wakeup call was about to hit them like a runaway freight train.

An explosion of rose petals appeared in the middle of the room. "Good morning Team RWBY!" Ruby yelled.

Blake heard Yang moving on her bed. She saw the blonde's bare legs hanging over the edge of her bed. "What time is it?" Yang asked.

"Time for all of us to get some breakfast!" Ruby hopped on her bed and pulled away the covers Weiss had tried to hide behind. The redhead leaned close and Blake saw her whisper something into the heiress' ear. To her surprise, she saw Weiss smile before responding. The two were leaning in for a quick kiss before Yang's smiling face filled her vision.

"G'mornin, kitty cat," Yang said.

Blake moved away from the sudden proximity, but she still felt her face flush. "Hi."

"Sleep well?"

"Like a log."

Yang narrowed her eyes, but the accursed smile remained. Blake met the lilac gaze and made sure to keep her eyes away from any other part of Yang's body. The blonde's eyes were endless, beautiful gems that constantly sparked with energy. Blake felt her body move closer towards Yang. She wanted to stay there forever, but the blonde suddenly stood up.

"Yeah, I don't buy that. C'mon, let's go hit the showers." Yang held her hand out. Blake looked it over for some sort of buzzer. Seeing none, she took the hand and was pulled out of bed.

"What about breakfast?"

Yang shrugged. "Either one is fine by me!" she said with that awful smile.

Blake pressed her lips into a thin line. She had the feeling that she was being played with. Of course, there were entries in her diary that fantasized about some ways in which she would play with Yang, but she only thought of those pages when she was alone. "Ruby said that we were all going to breakfast," Blake slowly said.

"So she did!" Yang spun on her heel and said, "Hey sis! As soon as you two want to stop eating each other, can we get going?" She spun around to face Blake before she saw the pair of red faces. Blake couldn't resist laughing.

"O-of course!" Ruby stuttered after clearing her throat. She hopped off of the bed and let Weiss climb out. The heiress marched past Yang without a word. Considering the early hour, Weiss' silence might have been the best for Blake's sanity, although she was certainly doing a fine job destroying it herself.

Yang giggled every time Blake's bow twitched. The movements were imperceptible to the rest of the class, but everyone had noticed the pink, polka dot bow that replaced her usual black one. A few of their classmates thought it was wise to make a few jokes at Blake's sudden change in wardrobe. The glares from the black haired girl made the hecklers stop to think about how great it was to not have parts of their anatomy rearranged in ways it was not meant to be.

Yang watched it all from her seat directly behind Blake, which she had chosen just so she could keep staring at the bow. She knew her gut had told her to acquire the obnoxious accessory for a reason when she had last been in town. The blonde giggled again and tried not to bounce in her seat. She wished she could get a look at Blake's face.

Professor Port loudly cleared his throat and brought Yang out of her merriment. His bushy eyebrows were directed at her. Or at least she thought they were. It was hard to tell when the man never opened his eyes. Regardless, Yang sat up straighter and made an effort to listen to the old Huntsman's lessons. There were occasional nuggets of gold to be found deep within his long-winded stories, like how plunging attacks could be used to deal massive amounts of damage on an unsuspecting foe. Nevertheless, there didn't seem to be any useful information coming that day, and thirty minutes of listening caused Yang's mind to wander.

Yang's eyes drifted back down to Blake, and she almost jumped out of her seat. Her partner hadn't been busy with just taking notes. Next to Blake's notes, and angled so Yang could see it perfectly, was a picture perfect drawing of the blonde. The amount of detail was startling. Yang was able to pick out individual strands of hair in the drawing from where she sat. Blake had made her hair wilder than how she usually wore it, but Yang felt like she was staring into a granite mirror. She didn't know if she should feel flattered or disturbed. She settled on a nervous chuckle and looked away, but the drawing stayed just on the edge of her vision. She swore that the eyes were following her. How did Blake have time to draw it in class? Yang looked at the clock, willing it to move faster so she could stop squirming under her own stare.

Blake walked into the shower room and yanked off the polka dot bow. She looked at the fabric in her hand and resisted the urge to throw it in the trash. Like it or not, she still needed it to disguise her ears from the rest of the students. She dropped the bow with the rest of her items in the locker. At least she had gotten back at Yang with her drawing. All of those drawings of the blonde in her diary had served as perfect practice and now she had the process down to a science.

Blake stepped into an open shower stall and turned on the water. Once it was warm, she picked up her bottle of shampoo and squeezed a healthy dollop on her head. What sort of devious trick Yang would do next? What could be done to get back at the blonde? Blake idly scrubbed the shampoo into her hair when a horrible realization struck her. The shampoo was not turning into lather.

Keeping her gaze fixed to a white tile on the wall, Blake blindly reached for the bottle she had used. She brought the label up to eye level and saw a smiling sun looking down on a plate of perfectly made pancakes. Yang had switched her shampoo out with syrup.


	3. Chapter 3

Blake sat on her bed, diary propped against her legs. The blank pages taunted her inability to think of a good prank. She tapped her pen against her lips before sighing in frustration and closing the book. It was one of the few times where Ruby and Weiss weren't in the room with her that evening. By not having to think over their loud conversations, Blake had hoped that inspiration would flow from her and she would be hard pressed to keep up with her whirling mind. She had made another doodle of Yang's face and lost herself in a daydream instead. Meanwhile, Yang was undoubtedly up to no good.

As if the thought summoned her, Yang threw open the door and made a beeline for Blake. She was still smiling. "Hey, you. Wanna go out?" Yang asked, chipper as ever.

Blake felt her face heat up. Was Yang asking her to go out on a romantic getaway? Or was it a request to literally go outside? Her tongue decided to tie itself into a knot. "U-uh."

"I figured it'd be best to give those two some time to themselves, you know?" Yang pointed over her shoulder to where Ruby and Weiss would have been if they were in the room.

Blake raised an eyebrow and said, "You do know we're the only ones here, right?"

Yang's smile faltered for the slightest moment. "Oh. Still, this room is a little stuffy sometimes, and it's been a while since we hung out. So leave your boring book behind and let's go for a walk."

Blake hesitantly put her diary to the side. What if this was a ruse for some prank? Should she bring her weapon with her? Maybe a change of clothes would be better.

"I'm not gonna play a prank on you," Yang said. She put a hand on her hip. "That's actually what I want to talk to you about."

"Then can't we just talk about it here?"

Yang put a finger to her chin and acted as if she was actually thinking about it. "Nope. I actually do want to get out of the room for a bit. Now come on, kitty cat. I won't bite." The blonde reached out with one hand.

It was obvious that the blonde wouldn't just leave her alone. They had been partners long enough for Blake to learn that lesson. She bit her lip before accepting the gesture and wondered if her arm was dislocated when Yang pulled her to her feet. "Where are we going?"

Yang kept her grip on Blake's hand and marched her through the door. "I think it'd be more fun if I showed you."

Blake didn't know what she had expected, but she couldn't resist making a sarcastic jab as she looked at the stars above. "Because it would have been so hard to say, 'We're going to the roof.'"

Yang let go of Blake's hand to cover her stomach. "Gah, your sharp tongue wounds me. This is the end, for I have no hope of recovering from this fatal blow. Before I die, promise to tell Ruby that I'm sorry, and that I love her dearly." The blonde fell in a heap at Blake's feet and managed to stay still for two seconds before her body was wracked with suppressed laughter.

"You're the only one laughing, Yang." Blake crossed her arms against the breeze, but she couldn't deny that she was smiling at the blonde's theatrics.

"Hey, it's tough being around a bunch of people that don't have a sense of humor." Yang hopped to her feet and stretched.

"So you said you wanted to talk about the pranks?"

"Oh yeah. That." Yang walked the edge of the roof, sat down, and patted the side next to her. When Blake settled down, Yang leaned back and looked at the stars. "I think it'd be best if we buried the hatchet."

Blake blinked. "What do you mean?"

Yang flashed a smile at Blake. "Ruby found out about my next move and talked me out of it. Something about whether it was legal or not and blah blah blah." She waved a hand and winked. "You've been spared."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like someone is throwing the towel."

"As if," Yang chuckled. "Besides, that creepy drawing wasn't a prank. I won."

Blake's bow twitched. That drawing wasn't creepy. She still had it. Yang's care-free tone was overriding her desire to feel irritated, and she found herself smiling instead. "Fine, you win. You are the undisputed prank champion of Team RWBY."

"And don't you forget it," Yang said.

Silence settled between them. Blake mimicked Yang and leaned back. There were some clouds in the evening sky, but she focused on the stars. A warm breeze blew, despite the changing of the seasons. It also carried Yang's scent, which went straight to Blake's head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to keep the citrus aroma with her for as long as she could. It felt warm. Sitting outside with Yang was a better pastime than staying in the dorm.

"So, why'd you dump the hot sauce on my food the other night?" Yang asked.

Blake opened her eyes to see that Yang had turned to face her. The blonde's lilac eyes pulled her in as they always did and Blake swallowed. The thought of lying did occur to her, but she knew she couldn't think of a suitable lie on the spot. Yang would also notice and figure that Blake was prone to dishonesty, which would make the whole plan behind the pranks counterproductive.

"It was because of a few months ago." Blake hung her head as she spoke. "It just seemed like you were ignoring me ever since Ruby and Weiss started going out, so I figured I would play a prank to appeal to your sense of humor."

She felt the heat rise to the tips of her cat ears. It all sounded so stupid and petty when spoken out loud. Maybe she should try talking to herself before starting any plan. If it sounded dumb, it probably was. Yang put a hand on Blake's back and chuckled.

"So even after that talk where I said everything was fine, you believed that something was wrong?" Yang shook her head. "You're such a silly kitty."

Blake relaxed against Yang's hand. Why did the blonde's touch always manage to turn her to putty? "You're not upset about anything?"

"Let the record show that there is no hidden meaning behind my words when I say that everything is A-OK between us." Yang tapped a finger on the tip of Blake's nose, who frowned despite herself. "So don't worry about it anymore, okay?"

Yang removed her hand from Blake's back. The black haired girl's shoulders slumped, but the breeze came by again and she closed her eyes. Everything was fine. Now she could just relax and be there with Yang. However, the void left by her anxiety was soon replaced with curiosity.

"So what do you think of their relationship?" Blake asked.

Yang was pulled out of her daydream to look at her partner. In the failing light, she wasn't sure if Blake was actually fidgeting or if it was just the wind. "Whose?"

"The loud and proud couple in the dorm."

Yang shrugged but smiled at the description. Ruby seemed unable to keep her hands off of Weiss for more than a minute. "I'm cool with it now. They're still happy and I worked you over with the sparring, so it's all good." She sat straighter and said, "You better not be having doubts again."

"No, I'm not. I'm just wondering if I did the right thing by pushing them together."

Yang sighed. "The right thing? Nah. But you did speed up the process, so I guess you did good."

Blake smiled and rubbed her arm. Yang wasn't sure if the black haired girl was blushing or not. The silence between them grew until Blake asked, "Have you ever been with a girl before?"

The question didn't faze Yang, thanks to several parties that ended with her leaving with some random girl. The next morning usually started with the blonde waking up in a ditch with a pounding headache. However, this time it was Blake asking. Her mind flicked back to a certain _incident_ involving her pillow. Was this conversation heading in that direction? Until proven otherwise, Yang decided that honesty wouldn't hurt anyone. Besides, she was probably just curious. "Not really. Any girl I've been with was usually drunk at the time, so I wouldn't consider those to be real relationships." Yang thought back to a party where a girl had almost vomited in her mouth and shuddered. "What about you?"

Blake shrugged. "No, well, I've never really had any sort of relationship. Life with the White Fang doesn't exactly lead to any romance."

"I can imagine," Yang said with a chuckle.

"But I wouldn't mind giving it a shot with you."

Yang could almost feel the heat radiating from Blake's face. The blonde did not let out the nervous chuckle that begged to be released. She had been expecting some sort of confession from Blake for a while, especially after a particular scenario that involved a pillow and a vow of silence. Now that the moment had come, she didn't know how to react. "Uh, thanks?"

Blake twitched her bow. She pulled her legs under her chin and said, "You're welcome."

Yang put her hand over her heart, just to make sure that it didn't burst out of her chest. All of the times she had engaged in drunken tongue wrestling matches with other girls hadn't made her as nervous as she felt then. But those had just been flings, and now it was Blake asking. It was a friend. Forcing herself to breathe, Yang asked, "But why?"

Blake shuddered. She probably didn't want to be anywhere close to the blonde. Yang could hear the regrets tumbling around her partner's head. However, she managed to keep any inner turmoil out of her voice long enough to ask, "Why what?"

"Why do you feel that way about me?"

"Oh, uh, well." Blake put her clutched hands on her lap. "Well, it's just that you have this really strong, magnetic personality. And it's just always great to be around you." Blake cleared her throat. Yang could almost hear her partner mentally scold herself for being nervous. "I just really like you," she lamely said. "Uh, so, what do you think?"

Yang took a deep breath and frowned. It sounded like the same reasons why so many others had thought they loved her. It was normally easy to laugh those people off because they were often inebriated. Unlike the people at the clubs, Blake had had time to work out her feelings. For the first time in years, the care-free party girl was tongue-tied. She lowered her eyes and looked at Blake's boots, face burning. She couldn't move her own feet and her arms were frozen to her sides. She could feel Blake's amber eyes scrutinizing her, expecting something, begging for a reaction. Yang forced herself to slowly look up.

Blake looked as well off as she had thought. The normally cool and collected girl was leaning forward, waiting. Her face had taken a red tint after her confession. The strength that had let her expose her feelings Yang had faded, leaving her trembling and unsure as the silence dragged on. Yang wanted to move, to get away. She didn't want to see the flicker of understanding pass through those amber eyes. She didn't want to see the effect of her words or her actions. She wanted to go back in time and tell herself to keep going through with the prank war until it reached its natural conclusion.

Yang opened her mouth and closed it. It was suddenly difficult to breathe. Her mind was reeling and replaying the moments over and over. Blake had just opened her heart and the blonde was just letting it fester. And she was expecting some sort of response. It was all too much. She felt like she was suffocating. "I… Blake, I… I don't know. I just don't know, and I can't give you an answer."

Blake's eyes widened. Her jaw clenched and her nostrils flared, but she closed her eyes before any tears fell. When she opened them, Blake had pushed all of her feelings aside. "Okay," she said.

The flat word hung in the air as the black haired girl stood up and started to walk away. Yang couldn't speak around the knot in her throat to stop her partner from leaving. She raised her hand, hoping to get Blake's attention. Blake had already opened the door and disappeared out of sight. Yang let the limb fall to her side. She wanted to chase after her partner, but her legs were frozen. She didn't even remember getting up.

Blake had wanted a relationship with her. She believed that the blonde was some sort of missing half and had given her the chance to fill it. She believed that Yang could have provided her the same sort of happiness that Ruby and Weiss had. Was that why Blake had pushed the two together? To see what that sort of love looked like? Or maybe her crush on Yang was tearing her up so much that she wanted to help others who were in the same pain.

Yang clutched her hands into fists. Why was she concerned about it, anyway? If she wasn't interested, there was no reason to lead Blake on. It wouldn't have been fair. Yang looked at the door that Blake had vanished through. "I'm sorry," she said.

She was glad she couldn't use her voice when Blake was around. She had caused enough damage.


	4. Chapter 4

Weiss was content to sit in the café with Ruby and just relax. Ruby, on the other hand, wanted to say something. The redhead's brows had furrowed and she had puffed her cheeks ever so slightly, like there was an issue that was going to make her explode if she didn't do something about it. Weiss had a feeling that Ruby was waiting for her to ask what the issue was. The heiress wondered what would happen if she let her girlfriend stew with her indecisiveness.

"Yang and Blake have been acting strange around each other," Ruby finally said.

Weiss sipped her coffee and looked at her scroll. It had only taken Ruby five minutes to voice the problem, which meant that it was something important. The heiress understood the need to be strong, especially when you lead a team of Huntresses-in-training, but Ruby had the bad habit of trying to take on the biggest issues by herself. It was a sort of stubbornness that had to come from Yang's influence. "What do you mean?"

"They've been trying to avoid each other for a week. I'm surprised that one of them hasn't decided to sleep somewhere else at night." Ruby wrapped both hands on her coffee cup and looked at the white lid. "Something happened between them."

Weiss remained impassive, though she could see that any unrest in the team seemed like a personal affront to Ruby. She sipped her drink and said, "I'm sure they'll be able to work it out."

Ruby suddenly gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth. Weiss' almost chocked on her drink. "We gotta help them," Ruby whispered.

"You couldn't have said that normally?" Weiss scolded.

"Sorry, I got carried away." Ruby scratched the back of her neck and chuckled.

Weiss rolled her eyes and leaned forward in her chair. "You're fine. Now go on and tell me this plan. I know you're going to, anyway."

"Aw, you know me so well!" Ruby cleared her throat. "I agree with you when you say that my sister and Blake can work out any problems that come their way. However, as team leader, I cannot let this poor morale go unchecked. And because you're dating the team leader, you are going to be conscripted to help."

Weiss put a hand against her forehead. "I feel like I should refuse to be a part of this."

Ruby pouted. "Do it for Blake, then." She reached over and took both of Weiss' hands in her own. "If it wasn't for her, we would still be wondering if we ever had a chance to be together."

The redhead's warm hands chased away the chill in Weiss' fingertips. The feeling passed up her arms and found the dark, cold core of loneliness that was always nestled on top of her heart. The ice cracked just a little more at Ruby's touch, and when Weiss looked into the silver pools of Ruby's eyes, the heiress knew that she would have agreed to even the most reckless of plans. "What did you have in mind?"

Ruby smiled and let go of Weiss' hands. She produced her scroll and Weiss could see her going through her list of contacts. She tapped Blake's number and they both waited for their teammate to answer.

"Hello?" Blake sounded like she had just gotten out of bed.

"Blake, I need you and Weiss to go to the store."

There was silence over the line before Blake droned, "I thought you said you two were going there."

"Yeah, but I ate too many sweets and I'm beginning to feel really bad, so I was gonna head back to Beacon. Are you in town?"

Weiss and Blake sighed at the same time. It wasn't the best excuse, but it was certainly believable.

"Yes. I'm actually a block away from the store if Weiss wants to meet me there."

"That sounds great! See you later!"

"Bye."

Ruby closed her scroll and shot a giant smile at Weiss. So far, the genius of the plan had failed to reach the heiress. Ruby tilted her head toward the door and everything suddenly fell into place. Weiss raised one white eyebrow and said, "You want me to play the role of the consoling friend, don't you?"

"Yep!"

"Ruby Rose, if I didn't love you, I would have defenestrated you right now." Weiss got out of her chair and started for the door.

"Good thing you love me, then!" Ruby said from her seat.

Weiss had one hand on the door before she looked over her shoulder at Ruby. "However, if you've had so many sweets that you feel ill, you definitely should not have any at dinner."

Ruby's eyes widened in horror. "That's not fair!"

Weiss grinned. "No, it's not."

If Ruby had expected Weiss and Blake to make easy and natural conversation, she would have been disappointed. The two walked down aisle after aisle, Blake pushing the cart and Weiss grabbing the items. The outing was helping Weiss see just how unnaturally depressed Blake had become. The black haired girl had always been quiet, but now she shuffled along in a striking resemblance to a zombie.

"Do we need any milk?" Weiss asked.

Blake grunted and pulled the cart to a stop. She slouched over the handlebar and waited for Weiss to grab two gallons before continuing her death march. Weiss watched Blake almost run into a pyramid of pop cans. Groaning, Weiss summoned a glyph in front of the cart. It harmlessly bounced back and the contact made Blake stand upright.

"What is wrong with you?" Weiss asked.

As if any indication to her depressed state of mind was the trigger, Blake covered her eyes and her shoulders started bouncing. The heiress frowned. She had hoped that tears wouldn't have been involved. Seeing anyone so emotionally distraught always made her uncomfortable. There was never enough information to know how to react. Was she supposed to console Blake? Or maybe she should just let the crying run its course? Nevertheless, Blake was nothing more than a hazard while steering the shopping cart. Walking closer to her teammate, Weiss gingerly put a hand over Blake's, silently willing her to let go.

As soon as the black haired girl released the cart, she immediately wrapped her arms around Weiss' neck. The heiress chocked against the sudden contact, especially when there was no more room between their bodies. Blake buried her face against Weiss' shoulder and there were soon tears soaking through the expensive jacket. Normally Weiss would push and pull to get away, especially when her clothing was being violated, but she quelled her instincts and stood still. She knew exactly why Blake was crying. She had felt the same way just a few short months prior. An elderly couple made to turn down the aisle, but they turned around as soon as they saw the two teammates in their one-sided hug.

Weiss waited until Blake's sobbing had stopped before asking, "This has to do with Yang, doesn't it?"

"Yep," Blake croaked.

"What did she do?"

"Took my heart."

Because Blake was holding her from behind and couldn't see her face, Weiss was free to roll her eyes. She concluded that her teammate read too many romance novels to say something so cheesy. "So use some of your own advice and tell her about it."

"I did." Blake lowered her head, causing her bow to rustle against Weiss' neck. "She shot me down. Couldn't give me an answer."

Weiss shuddered. She had been fortunate enough to never have to deal with rejection, though she had spent nights considering what it would feel like. However, to actually experience it would be much worse than any sort of imaginings. She felt a tinge of guilt in her stomach for comparing Blake to a zombie. It was surprising that her teammate had even gotten out of bed.

"So? That doesn't make it the end of the world."

"Certainly feels like it."

"Oh please, don't get caught in self-pity. I thought you were better than that." Weiss shook off Blake's arms and turned to face her. "There are so many different factors here that are so obvious to me that you can't see because you keep looking at your feet! You said Yang didn't give you an answer, but at least she didn't turn you down completely."

"She probably just wanted to spare my feelings." Blake looked over Weiss' shoulder.

The heiress jabbed a finger at Blake's face. "Stop thinking like that!"

"It's a little hard not to. Not everyone gets their happy ending, Weiss." At least there was a spark of fire in Blake's voice now.

"You could have one if you would stop moping around." Weiss sliced the air with her raised finger to cut off Blake's attempt at interrupting. "It's obvious that you care for Yang, and I'm sure she cares just as much for you. There's always some sort of contact between you two, and Yang smiles more when you're around. It could just be that she is just not sure of her own feelings. The fact that she is capable of slowing down and considering something before rushing in is astounding, but I digress. Give her time or, at the very least, act like how you always did around her. You know she hasn't been herself lately, either."

Blake blinked twice before asking, "What do you mean?"

Weiss waved a hand. "How have you not noticed? She gets up and interacts with us, but it's obvious that none of the lights are on upstairs. She's just going through the motions. Maybe she misses her friend."

"Wow." Blake looked at her boots and clenched her fists. The speakers overhead announced a half off deal on fish. Weiss was about to ask if everything was alright when Blake said, "I have to do something."

The heiress internally breathed a great sigh of relief. "That's the spirit."

"But I have no idea what to do."

Weiss had a feeling that there were some doubts still in Blake's mind. She tapped her chin before splitting her lips in a devilish grin. "Do you remember that week where Yang kept taking you sparring?"

Blake's eyes flashed in understanding. She smirked and said, "My sword arm has been getting a little rusty. Maybe I should do something about that."

Weiss couldn't believe her luck. She had actually talked Blake out of her slump. Maybe Ruby knew that she could do it. Forgetting about her earlier threat, she picked up a pack of cookies and made to put them in the cart, which was suddenly full of every item on the list.

"Looks like that's everything," Blake said. She pushed the cart to the front in a mad sprint, leaving Weiss in the aisle with the cookies in hand. Deep down, the heiress felt scared for the blonde when they got back to Beacon.


	5. Chapter 5

Yang lay on Blake's bed. She lacked the strength to get onto her own. She felt like she didn't have the strength to do a whole lot of things lately. Her head felt like it was full of cotton and static. The inactivity was going to drive her insane, but she couldn't focus on anything worth doing. The textbooks on the desk beckoned to be opened and studied. Yang tapped into her depleting stores of energy and rolled onto her side instead.

Why did Blake have to go and do all of what she did? Why did she have to say those words and complicate everything? Yang took a deep breath and got a lungful of Blake's lavender scent from the pillow. Everything had been perfect between the two of them. They had become fast friends, they could joke around, and they could just hang out and have a great time doing anything. Now all of that was gone and Yang still couldn't believe that she had not given Blake any closure. Why didn't she just say no? Was she trying to spare Blake the pain of rejection or just save herself from dealing with the emotional fallout? Yang sighed. Maybe she had been unable to say no because part of her wanted to say yes.

The thought set the blonde's face on fire. It was the first hint of emotion she had felt all week. Once her breathing had slowed to a normal pace, Yang decided to take a mental step back from the situation. She had an attraction to women, of that she was sure, but that was only ever obvious at parties. On her own, she wasn't sure if the appeal was still there. On the other hand, she had never put any thought into it before. Yang shook her head and sat up. She was putting too much thought into everything. What relationship was ever founded by logic?

"Alright, easy way to find out," Yang said to the empty room. "I am going to ask myself if I like Blake. Then I will immediately say yes or no. Nothing in between." Yang swallowed and took several deep breaths. Why were her hands shaking? It was just a simple question. It would be just like ripping off a bandage. Simple. "Alright." Yang took another gulp of air and licked her lips. "Do I, Yang Xiao Long, like Blake Belladonna?"

"YANG!" Ruby shouted as she burst through the door. Yang jumped to her feet, head almost colliding with the edge of her bed. She felt like her poor heart had just cracked against some of her ribs. "Yang, I need to ask you about something!"

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" Yang gasped.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ruby looked at the ground and pressed her index fingers together. The cuteness was almost enough to make Yang's heart stop.

"It's fine. What's up?"

"I was talking to Weiss earlier and we were both noticing that yo—"

"Ah, say no more, little sister!" Yang threw on a gigantic smile to mask her annoyance at being interrupted with her soul searching. If she kept rambling, it would be easy to give Ruby the slip and get to a quiet place as well. "You must be having trouble pleasuring your woman. Well, I don't quite have that sort of personal experience, but I have heard that if you use your nails in certain places, it'll make her purr like a kitten."

Ruby's blush reached the tips of her ears. She started to squeak, "Uh, that's not wh—"

"Anyway, I'm gonna head out so I don't have to see the passionate whirlwind you two will probably become when you're thawing out the snow princess." Yang started for the door while Ruby was too flustered to move. "Sorry I couldn't be more help, but I'm sure you can find some research on your scroll! Just make sure Weiss doesn't find out. She looks like the type that would keep going even after you shouted the safe word!" Ruby looked like her brain had just turned to mush. Yang found the doorknob and quickly stepped out before her sister regained her senses.

She was face to face with a grinning Blake. Yang had never felt so much like prey before.

"Hi, Yang. Want to spar?" Blake asked.

Yang swallowed. They were the first words Blake had said to her in a week. Maybe Blake was just trying to move past the unpleasant experience. "Uh, yeah, sure," Yang said.

Blake's grin managed to grow. "Great." She grabbed Yang's hand and roughly pulled the blonde behind her.

Before Yang was torn around the corner, she saw Weiss standing by the door, watching the odd scene. The heiress looked into the dorm and loudly asked Ruby, "What flowers do you think we should get for your sister's funeral?"

The hallways blurred together as Blake and Yang made their way to the sparring rings. Students passed by, all stuck in their own conversations. Yang wondered if any of them were having as bad of a day as she was. The sun poured in through the windows they passed. Why couldn't it be cloudy instead? _Probably because all of the clouds are in my head_, Yang thought. Meanwhile, Blake was quiet, though she was humming some song that the blonde didn't recognize.

Yang opted to clear some of the tension. "So, uh, been a while."

Blake stopped humming. "Not really. Maybe only a few days, right?"

"Yeah. I was just kind of concerned that I screwed up everything between us." Yang brushed away some stray hair that got in her eyes.

"I'm not some delicate flower that is going to fall apart just because life is getting a little rough, Yang," Blake said with a wink.

For a moment, Yang thought that Blake was back to her normal self: calm, collected, mysterious. No hint of the possible war that she could have been waging within herself was visible. Yang bit her lip. She hadn't voiced the answer to her question back in the dorm. She was about to speak when Blake stepped ahead and opened the doors to their destination.

The rows of sparring rings were located in a large, brightly lit room. The rings themselves were made of white tiles that were supposed to be indestructible. Considering the fact that there were no cracks on the tiles after years of students, Ozpin had gotten his money's worth. Surprisingly, every ring was empty as the two partners walked in. Considering the evening hours, Yang would have thought that someone would have been around. Or maybe everyone was back in their dorms or eating dinner. Yang swallowed. She couldn't resist thinking that she was walking straight into some sort of trap.

"Any particular rules?" Blake asked and started stretching.

Yang shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

"How about you can't fire a shot?"

Yang popped her knuckles and said, "Nah, that sounds boring, and there's no one here. Shoot to your heart's content, baby!"

Blake smirked and bent down to touch her toes. Yang suddenly felt like it had been a bad idea to wear her orange scarf. She coughed and turned away, slowly walking to the opposite side of the ring. "How many matches are we going for?"

"One sounds good enough. I'd like to get a head start on some of the readings," Blake stood up and drew her weapon.

"Nerd."

"This nerd is about to take you down."

Yang grinned and deployed her gauntlets. "We'll see about that."

Silence reigned for a long minute. Yang kept her eyes on Blake's, which were now sparkling mischievously. The black haired girl grinned and winked. The blonde returned the favor and cracked her knuckles again. The seconds slowly ticked by.

The two leapt into action at the same time. Yang cocked her arm back and fired a single shot from her gauntlet at Blake, forcing her to roll out of the way. She took the opportunity to bring both gauntlets back and fire again to close the distance between them.

Blake used the momentum from her roll to bring her sword up and knock away Yang's fist. She quickly unsheathed her blade and parried the next punch.

They settled into a rhythm for a single minute, viciously exchanging attacks that would have left a lesser opponent begging for mercy. Neither one of them managed to land a single hit on the other. Blake's smirk had almost vanished as she concentrated more on the fight.

Yang let the adrenaline get to her head and she decided to change the routine. She fired a quick jab at Blake's face, which caused the black haired girl to step aside and focus on not being hit. Yang stepped forward, fully aware of what Blake could do given a bit of distance, and put all of her weight into an uppercut. Her fist struck nothing but air. Blake had managed to take another step back in time, leaving Yang exposed.

Blake thrusted her sword and scabbard toward Yang's abdomen. The attack was too low to easily block, especially with one fist still in the air. The blonde twisted so her left fist could intercept the sword, but the force of it pinned her arm against her body. The blunt end of the scabbard connected with Yang's hip, spinning the blonde more than she had intended. Yang ignored the pain and grinned. Blake frowned as she realized how extended her arm was. The blonde brought her raised elbow down on Blake's shoulder.

There was a hiss of pain, but the black haired girl managed to keep her grip on the scabbard. Yang was about to try again when she felt a solid kick against the back of her knee. Pain and shock filled her mind as she went down. She threw a wild punch and hit nothing.

By the time Yang stood up, Blake had already managed to rearrange her sword into its hook form. Yang scowled. She hated when that happened. Blake cocked her arm back and threw her weapon directly at the blonde's head. Yang rolled out of its path and heard the blade strike the ground where she had just been. Blake reeled it back and had thrown the weapon again in the same heartbeat.

This time, Yang raised her arm and let the blade wrap around her gauntlet. She grinned and started firing a volley at Blake with her other gauntlet. As expected, Blake jumped out of the way. Yang was just trying to make her partner drop the other end of the black ribbon.

Instead, Blake flicked her wrist after Yang had fired a shot. The curious black tether managed to snare her other arm before she could pull it back.

"Oh, that is so not fair!" Yang shouted, looking at her bound arms.

"It must be my birthday," Blake teased.

"Good thing I kept the receipt!" Yang pulled her arms up and over her head. Blake hadn't expected the move, but she held onto her weapon as she was pulled into the air. She landed on her feet behind Yang, but she couldn't hold on as the blonde pulled her arms away again.

Not bothered by being disarmed, Blake started running at an angle towards Yang. The blonde held her bound arms before her and fired at her partner. The fiery projectiles landed just inches behind Blake's heels. Yang thought that Blake was running for her weapon, but the black haired girl suddenly changed course and threw herself at Yang. The blonde mentally applauded the bold move while she swung her arms at the exact place Blake would be.

She didn't have a moment to contemplate how strange it was to watch her arms pass through Blake's shadow clone before the other girl was on her.

The two fell unceremoniously to the floor as Blake completed her tackle. Yang was about to fire again when she realized that the barrels for her gauntlets were positioned underneath her chin. Blake lay upon her, a slight hint of red adorning her features. Yang knew it wasn't from the fight.

"Guess you win," Yang said, hoping to dispel any tension before it started.

"Yeah. Lucky me." Blake didn't move. She kept staring into Yang's eyes, black hair blotting out the overhead lights. The blonde was aware of how the lower half of Blake's body was pressed against hers. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was at Blake's mercy.

"Uh, do you want to get off now?" Yang asked. She tried to sound cheerful.

Blake licked her lips. Her voice was an even monotone when she said, "No. Not until I get my prize."

Yang tried to look away, but Blake's face dominated her vision. They were both sweating and she couldn't take a breath that didn't carry her partner's scent. It was that same lavender from before. "Um, sure. How about I get you some tuna and I'll scratch your ears?"

Blake smiled. Instead of responding, she clamped her hand over Yang's mouth and pressed her lips against it with such force that Yang thought her head was going to be pushed through the floor. Her eyes shot wide open, whereas Blake kept hers closed. She could feel the heat of the kiss through the hand that separated them. When Blake pulled away, hair covering her eyes, Yang couldn't think of anything to say.

"Tuna sounds lovely," Blake said, breathless, "but I can scratch my own ears, thanks." She removed the strap from Yang's arms and stood up. Once she had collected her weapon, she said, "Thanks for the workout, but now I need to shower." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to get up?"

"I think I'm fine laying here, thanks," Yang croaked.

Blake shrugged and walked away, an added swagger to her steps. Yang waited until she was alone before covering her face with her hands and groaning. She thought back to her answer from before. She took a shaky breath and said, "Do I, Yang Xiao Long, like Blake Belladonna?"

In the silence of the room, she mouthed a single word.


	6. Chapter 6

Even though two days had passed, Yang swore that her lips still felt the force of Blake's hand pressing against them. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that she was back in the sparring ring with her partner, lower half of her face covered and being pushed down as Blake kissed the other side of her own hand. The self-inflicted barrier had done nothing to dispel the heat or passion behind the gesture, Yang assumed. She rubbed the back of her head that was still sore. It made her wonder what the black haired girl was capable of when she didn't have to put up with any restrictions. The blonde blushed at the machinations of her rebellious mind and shook her head. She didn't know what to do anymore. On the one hand, Blake had stepped far out of her bounds by doing that. The possibilities of the other hand had driven her back to her dorm.

The blonde looked at the bland door and realized that she was actually nervous about something. She knew that she needed to talk to someone, and that someone had to be Weiss. The class schedules for Ruby and Blake ran through her mind. If she was going to do something, she needed to act quickly. The blonde swallowed and unlocked the door.

Yang winced as the door creaked open. She imagined what would happen if Blake was around. She needed a smooth exit strategy. Jumping through the window would suffice. Maybe that would be preferable to talking to Weiss about what she needed to talk about. The blonde felt a tinge of shame at the thought, but she couldn't help but feel like she had reached rock bottom when she was forced to talk to Weiss Schnee about her personal problems. Sure, the heiress had been the one to encourage all of the team members to share their problems with each other, and Yang had come to respect her, but that didn't mean that Weiss wasn't impulsive.

She thought about talking to Ruby instead, but she wouldn't want to put that weight on her young sister. It didn't help that she had spent years of her life watching out for her baby sister. But what would stop Weiss from telling Ruby? Then Ruby would probably become concerned about her anyway? Yang shook her head. She couldn't afford to be mired with doubts now. Besides, she didn't need a hug or a few words of encouragement. She needed a different perspective. She peeked inside the dorm just quickly enough to determine that Blake wasn't around before stepping in.

Weiss was asleep. Yang bit her lip to avoid shouting profanities. Of all the days, it had to be the one where Weiss was able to sleep in. Regardless, she had already worked up the courage to bring someone else in on the drama and she wasn't going to stop now. She crossed over to Weiss and shook the heiress' shoulder. "Wakey wakey, princess," she sang.

"Go away." Weiss tried to get retreat from Yang by burrowing deeper into the covers. Yang felt her heart melt at the uncharacteristically cute display despite the harsh words. _Guess she's only a morning person when it's Ruby_, Yang thought.

"No can do. We need to talk."

"And I would like to sleep in for once." It sounded like Weiss was trying to eat her pillow.

"How about you get up before I start tickling you?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I'll still be here and then you'll never get back to sleep."

Weiss was quiet for a moment. Yang held her breath, but she popped her knuckles for effect. The heiress groaned and sat up, training her foggy, icy eyes on Yang. Not wanting to give Weiss the opportunity to collect her wits and find something in her mental catalogue of scathing remarks, Yang decided to cut to the reason why she was there.

"What did it feel like when you fell for Ruby?"

"You woke me up for that?" Weiss fell back onto her pillow. Her eyes immediately shot open and she sat up again before Yang could think of being annoyed. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious," Yang said, hoping that her blushing was all in her head.

Weiss' coy smile suggested that it wasn't. "Sure you are," the heiress said, voice dripping with sweetness. "I wonder if there isn't a certain someone in the shadows of your thoughts."

"Will you just tell me?" Yang blurted. She quickly looked back at the door to make sure no one was there.

"Fine. Though it is amusing to tease you for once, I would like to get back to sleep." Weiss yawned and pulled her legs up to her chest. When she spoke this time, her voice was quieter. "Honestly, when I first started to have feelings for Ruby outside of friendship, I hated it. I didn't want to be around her at all, and I hated my body for reacting so much to her. It came to a point where I couldn't breathe sometimes, and I could only think about Ruby and how great it would be to have a relationship with her. Then came all of the fears and doubts, and that led to me avoiding her, but I saw what that did to Ruby.

"I'm sure you noticed it, too. She wasn't as peppy as she always was and she didn't eat as much. In training, she was just a little bit slower. I had to force myself to interact with her again and tease myself by getting closer to her." Weiss lowered her head and some of her hair covered a part of her face. She didn't brush it away. "It was awful. I tore myself apart by maintaining her happiness when my head was full of doubts and ideas of what a proper relationship is supposed to look like. I constantly tortured myself with the idea of ever being with her. It took a while, but I had finally started to convince myself that maybe I would be able to get over Ruby, but then we were down to two beds. You know the rest."

"Yeah, I guess I do," the blonde said. She turned on her heel and spoke over her shoulder. "Thank you for sharing."

"Yang," Weiss said. Her tone was back to normal. "You know it's not fair to leave her like this. Eventually, you are going to have to give her an answer."

The blonde stopped in the doorway. She wanted to say that she already had an answer. Instead, she gave a curt nod and left the heiress to her sleep.

Yang sat on a stone bench outside of the dormitory and stared into space. Some part of her registered that she was staring directly into one of the dorms. She also knew that the occupants were still there and were probably becoming uncomfortable. She blamed them for having the curtains open on such a nice morning. Besides, she had more important things to worry about. Like Blake.

The blonde clenched her fists and felt her face heat up. It wasn't the same sort of heat she felt in the middle of a fight. That heat was wild and erratic, but it was one she was used to. This new one was concentrated in her chest and had been a constant companion for the past couple of days. She had been able to ignore it most of the time, but she had noticed that the strange, low heat only ever seemed to flare up whenever she thought about Blake. Weiss' words rang in her head. She had to give a better answer to her partner than a panicked "I don't know."

Yang closed her eyes. Was there any answer that could resolve all of the damage that had already been made? She puffed her cheeks and scratched her nose. Yang suddenly laughed once, a harsh, barking sound to her own ears. Why was she even bothering with the thoughts? She had already answered the question in her mind. All that remained was talking to Blake.

"Yang? Are you okay?" Ruby asked. The redhead was right beside her.

The blonde almost jumped out of her skin. Had she been outside for so long that Ruby had gotten out of class, returned to the dorm, and spoken with Weiss? Not willing to heap her problems onto her sister, Yang plastered on a giant smile and said, "Yep! Totally 100% and don't you let anyone tell you different."

Ruby lowered her head and walked closer. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Yang reached back to play with some of her hair.

Ruby jabbed a finger towards her sister. "You're trying to hide your problems from me again!"

"Problems?" Yang chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Sis, I don't have any problems. If I did, you know I'd tell you immediately."

Ruby put her hands on her hips and clenched her teeth. Yang knew that the redhead wanted to yell at her, and she knew she deserved it. But she was also too kind-hearted to pry into Yang's problems so deeply.

"Fine," she huffed. "Once you're done beating yourself up for no reason, you know that you can talk to me." Ruby turned to leave, but her resolve failed her. She quickly wrapped her arms around Yang. "Just don't take too long."

Yang held Ruby close. She softly said, "Yeah, yeah. Nice huffing, by the way. Your girlfriend is really rubbing off on you. One day you won't even need me around."

Ruby chuckled. "That'll never happen. But maybe you could find someone for yourself someday?"

Yang tightened the hug. She felt her eyes moisten. "Yeah," Yang said, voice lowering. "Maybe that'll happen someday."

Ruby didn't mean to groan when she got back to their dorm room. She had intended to bring her sister back, but Yang had decided that she wanted to sit on the bench outside to deal with her own problem. The fact that she couldn't help Yang bothered her, but Yang's inability to trust her hurt just as much. Why did Yang have to feel like she had to protect her?

"She's certainly acquiring your flare for the dramatic, Weiss," Blake said from her desk.

"Har har," Weiss grumbled. She shifted from her spot under the covers to look at Ruby. "Guess I won't be getting anymore sleep."

"I'm sorry," Ruby said. The redhead took a seat next to Weiss on the bed and gave the heiress a small kiss on the cheek. She was warm and smelled like fabric softener. "It's just that I feel so useless right now. I know something is eating at Yang, but she won't talk to me about it."

"Where is she?" Blake asked, on her feet in an instant.

Ruby blinked. "She was sitting on the bench outside. Why do yo—"

The Blake in front of her disappeared. Ruby blinked and realized she had been talking to one of Blake's shadow clones.

Weiss smiled and put her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Don't worry about Yang. I think they're going to work out all of their problems."

"Maybe I should go and he—" Ruby rocked her head back as she felt Weiss' slim, powerful fingers running across her back. All thoughts of her sister faded as she closed her eyes and melted into the massage.

Blake flew down the stairs. It was only through pure luck that the halls were empty. Most of the students were either back in their rooms or in a class. A Jaune shaped blur had been in the way, but pushing it against the wall had solved that problem. She burst through the doors and squinted against the sun in her eyes. She blinked a few times and immediately found the person of her desires sitting on a bench by the dorms, just as Ruby had described. Crossing the dew-soaked grass, Blake asked, "Yang, are you okay?"

The blonde leaned forward and stared at the grass. "So many people have been asking me that lately."

Blake clenched her jaw. "Probably because you always dance around the issue."

"What if I said I was fine?"

"I'd say it was the worse lying I've seen since Jaune tried to play poker. What's going on?" Blake put a hand on Yang's shoulder. She was surprised that her hand wasn't pushed away.

"I'm fine," Yang croaked.

"Have you been crying?" Blake felt her heart race. She never thought she'd see the blonde reduced to tears, especially since she was always so sure of herself. Maybe the kiss had been too much? Had she ruined their relationship forever? "Yang, tell me what's wrong."

"No."

At least it was a direct response. Blake rolled her eyes. "Is it because of my feelings toward you? Is that why you won't talk to me? Can you look past that and see that I'm just a friend trying to help you with no ulterior motives?"

Yang slowly raised her head. Blake had been prepared to see the blonde's puffy eyes and possibly a running nose, but both were absent. Yang really had not been crying. "You are the problem. That's why I didn't want to talk to you about it, but I know I have to."

The words were spoken without malice. Yang just sounded tired. Blake's worrying was quickly replaced with curiosity. "I'm the problem? What do you mean?"

Yang clenched her jaw and looked over Blake's shoulder. "This relationship stuff. I've been thinking about it."

Blake was suddenly aware of how difficult breathing was. Having her heart jump into her throat didn't help. She willed herself to ask, "And?"

The blonde closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Blake mentally scurried to prepare the fortifications for the incoming rejection. Were Yang's lips trembling? Blake sat next to her partner and waited. Would it be awkward to place a hand on Yang's shoulder? She didn't need consolation, but Blake could tell that her partner was uneasy.

Finally, Yang said, "I wouldn't mind trying it."

Blake twitched her bow. She felt the impact of the fabric on each strand of hair it touched. The air became a thick syrup that she had to labor to inhale, but it didn't stop her from feeling like she had dunked her head underwater. A warmth rose in her chest and spread to her fingers and toes. Her heart was beating faster than it had any right to, and a part of her mind registered that the organ may end up detonating.

Yang took Blake's silence as an indication to continue speaking. Or maybe the silence was becoming awkward. Blake's capacity for speech had left her. Yang brushed some of her hair and played with it between her fingers.

"I've seen what being in a relationship has done for my sister. She's the happiest that she's ever been now, thanks to you." Yang cleared her throat and leaned against the backrest. "And back then, like even after we started attending Beacon, I never really thought a relationship would do anything but tie me down, and I didn't want to feel like I wasn't free to be myself anymore. Ruby and Weiss showed me that it's not like that. It's about finding someone that you're happy to be around, someone that brightens your day and is always there to stand by your side when you need it." Yang swallowed and said, "And for me, that person is you."

She spread her arms and hastily added, "If you want. I've been kind of a jerk lately, so I underst—"

Blake moved forward, pulled Yang to her feet, and crushed her in the strongest hug she could muster, knocking all of the air out of the blonde and silencing her self-defeating ramble. The action surprised Blake and she couldn't remember actually moving, but neither of them voiced a complaint. Yang returned the gesture and they stood motionlessly. Blake took the time to contemplate the feeling of finally having a full heart.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear that," Blake said. Her chest felt like it was about to burst. If she hadn't been holding on to Yang, she was sure she would have collapsed.

"So…?" Yang asked, pulling back so she could see Blake's face.

Blake forced herself to not get lost in the lilac eyes that sparkled so enticingly in the morning light. Her smile grew and she said, "Of course. Of course I'll stand by you."

Yang's face brightened. The blonde smiled and said, "Think we can make it official? Maybe this time without the hand in-between?"

Blake tapped Yang's shoulder. "It only took you that long to get to the physical displays of affection? I've fallen into the lecherous claws of a pervert."

"So that's a no?"

"That's a no." Blake smirked and stepped away from Yang. She knew that she wanted nothing more than to throw herself against that toned, muscular body, but Yang had been horribly indecisive about the whole prospect of a relationship. She wanted to make sure the blonde wasn't looking only for physical gratification.

"You're such a killjoy."

"And don't you forget it. Now come back to the dorm. Ruby is worried sick about you."

Yang's pupils shrank. "Oh crap. I completely forgot that I blew her off."

Blake grabbed Yang's hand and started to pull her toward the door. "Come on. We'll have plenty of time to discuss and explore our newfound future together later."

She could almost hear Yang wink. "Don't think I don't know it."

Yang didn't have time to step into the room before Ruby was upon her. "What is your problem?" the redhead asked.

"Do you mean the one fro—"

"I mean in general! Why do you keep trying to keep these sorts of problems away from me, Yang? I'm not a little kid anymore!" Despite the words, there were tears threatening to form. Weiss stood on the opposite side of the room, collecting a case of Dust for inspection. Yang could only assume that Ruby knew about the talk she had with the heiress. Blake leaned against the doorframe and watched.

Yang put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Yeah, I know you're not a child anymore. I know we're not living at home and there's no need to keep something like this away from you, especially when it hurts the team you're leading. It was a selfish move on my part, and I kept pushing you away when you were the one I should've gone to first."

"Maybe then I would've gotten some sleep," Weiss mumbled, just loud enough to be heard.

Yang ignored the jab. "I am sorry, Ruby, about my behavior. I can see how responsible you've become and from now on, I will be completely open with you. That being said, I now feel obligated to tell you that the young man in Signal that you referred to as 'Pubert Fungus Boy' had a big crush on you, but I put an end to that."

All of the color drained from Ruby's face. She looked at her hands as if they suddenly burst open with thousands of tiny spiders. "He did?" Ruby squeaked. She burst into a cloud of rose petals and reappeared by Weiss. "Weiss, I need your attention now more than ever!"

"Not now!" the heiress said.

"But Weissssss."

"Ruby, I have an open vial of dust in my hand. Do you want to blow up again?" When no response came, Weiss returned to her task. With reddened cheeks, she said, "I'll be sure to give you plenty of attention tonight."

Blake tapped Yang on the shoulder. The blonde looked back and raised an eyebrow. Blake tilted her head toward Ruby and Weiss. The gears clicked into place and she smiled. "Hey, if you two are done setting up when and where you're going to bang, I've got something else to tell you."

A pair of blushing faces turned toward Yang. The blonde's smile widened and she snatched Blake forward, making sure to tightly grip her partner's hand. She was about to officially declare their new relationship when Weiss said, "Finally."

Ruby bounced where she stood. "Oh my gosh, you two are together?" The redhead sounded like she was about to burst with joy.

"We thought we'd give it a shot," Blake said. For once, the black haired girl sounded like she was more energetic than Ruby. Yang could feel the force in Blake's grip, which she returned.

The blonde smiled. As they subjected themselves to all of the questions Ruby had about their plans together, which lasted much longer than she could've imagined, Yang noticed that she didn't let go of Blake's hand the entire time. They would occasionally glance at each other and feel their faces heat up, but the looks only lasted a second before one of them would address Ruby's question. In those short exchanges, Yang felt her own concerns gradually fade and become replaced with confidence. Yang had said that she wouldn't mind trying. Blake had said that they would give the relationship a shot. Both of them had used language that was indefinite. She squeezed Blake's hand. Yang didn't want her time with Blake to be brief. She would fight tooth and nail to make it last.

The stars hung above, each displaying their glory against the cloudless night. Their show went unnoticed by most of the occupants at Beacon, but Yang found herself on the roof again. She lay on her back, hands positioned behind her head. Astronomy had never interested her too much. She didn't want to know all of the science and the equations. She just wanted to look up and get lost in the cosmos. It helped her relax after Ruby's onslaught of questions. If her sister was already so energetic, why did the redhead bother with the sweets?

"Room for one more?"

Yang propped herself up with her arms to see Blake walking towards her. "For you? Always."

Blake sat down and Yang immediately put an arm around her partner's shoulders. Blake put her head in the crook of Yang's neck and followed the blonde's gaze to the stars. "Are you still nervous?"

"Just a bit. Being in a real relationship sounds kind of daunting."

Blake covered Yang's hand with one of hers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The blonde almost recoiled from the suggestion. Where had that question come from? She flashed a large, reassuring smile and said, "Of course I do! A little nerves aren't going to stop me from spending more time with you."

Blake managed to scoot closer toward the blonde. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," she purred.

Yang felt her heart skip a beat. She planted a kiss on the top of Blake's head, right by her bow, and whispered, "Nah, but I think I have an idea."

A thought suddenly came to the blonde and she smacked her forehead. Blake looked up in confusion. Yang muttered, "I totally forgot something."

"What's that?"

"We haven't even gone out on a date yet! Isn't that how other people get into relationships and stuff?"

Blake smirked and rested her head on Yang's shoulder again. "How about we worry about that stuff later? I don't feel like moving from this spot."

Yang rolled her eyes, though she knew her partner couldn't see the gesture. Truth be told, her butt had started to go numb and she did want to move. Not only to get the much needed circulation, but to see what the world had to offer now. There were years to look forward to with Blake. She thought back to Ruby's questions, one of which revolved around marriage. The blonde blushed and looked to the stars. They had a long way to go before that level of commitment would even become relevant. Even the longest journey began with the smallest step.

**AN: **

**The end.**

I had some problems writing this entire story. One thought that I kept coming back to was whether Yang would want to be in a relationship or not. Though I find the name of the ship humorous, would a care-free party girl want something that involves so much effort? Originally, she was going to give Blake the big N.O. But then as time went on, I thought that maybe Yang would want to at least give something like this a shot, especially with someone that she already likes and is comfortable being around. In a way, that lends itself to how I came up with the title. The conflicts in this story revolved around Yang and the way she had to smooth them out, although I'll admit that I could've played up the conflict with Ruby more. One thing I didn't have problems writing was how it all ended. I immediately knew that I didn't want them to say "I love you" "I love you too" and end on a kiss, as has been the case in other stories I've read. Not knocking anyone who has done that, but I've read an embarrassing amount of these stories and it just gets a little old after a while.

This story is also, to my knowledge, the first time I included an overt Roosterteeth/Achievement Hunter reference with Pubert. I had my reservations, as that could go right over some readers' heads, but I ultimately left it in because it provided some humor in a chapter that had been lacking in it. Apologies if you don't get it, and I hope that you were able to enjoy the rest of the chapter. There was also a Dark Souls reference thrown into one of the other chapters, but I don't feel bad for putting that one in.

That being said, I wonder how many people caught the foreshadowing with the desserts in the first chapter. I did the same thing with "Blake Belladonna: Matchmaker," but I actually had to wrack my brain for what sort of dessert could possibly combine black and yellow.

So in conclusion (because this description turned into an English paper now), I had a lot of fun writing this story. I hope you had just as much reading it, which I will assume you did if you have made it this far. I don't see anymore multi-part RWBY fanfics coming around from me until after Volume 2. Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING throws me out of a fanfiction groove like when a new episode comes out and obliterates whatever plans I had.

Thanks a lot for sticking around and I hope you all have a very good day.


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